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A woman was found dead in a fire-damaged apartment in Baldwin Hills early Wednesday, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said.

The woman was found in the living room of the apartment (map) southwest of downtown Los Angeles around 2:05 a.m., said department spokesman Erik Scott. Fire investigators told NBC4 the fire, initially considered "suspicious in nature," was later determined to be accidental.

A preliminary investigation indicated the fire might have been caused by unattended candles.

About 40 firefighters responded to reports of smoke coming from a ground floor apartment at the 33-unit two-story building, La Ronda Cooperative, in the 3900 block of Ursula Avenue. Firefighters knocked downt the fire in about 15 minutes and contained it to the single unit.

The woman's body was discovered during a subsequent search and rescue sweep of the apartment.